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gombeen

[ gom-been ]

/ gɒmˈbin /

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noun Irish English.

Nearby words

Origin of gombeen

1860–65; < Irish gaimbín interest, especially exorbitant interest, literally, bit, small piece, diminutive of gamba lump, hunk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gombeen

At Burtonport we found the “Gombeen man,” of Dungloe, represented by a very large “store.”
Ireland Under Coercion (2nd ed.) (1 of 2) (1888)|William Henry Hurlbert
This poor innocent was charging just 60 per cent., but his terms were lavishly liberal as compared with those of the gombeen man.
Disturbed Ireland|Bernard H. Becker
There are no “Gombeen men” here, he says, and no usurious shopkeepers.
Ireland Under Coercion (2nd ed.) (2 of 2) (1888)|William Henry Hurlbert
They vary in wealth and position from the humblest 'gombeen man' to the millionaire banker.
Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official|William Sleeman

Gombeen man; a usurer who lends money to small farmers and others of like means, at ruinous interest.
English As We Speak It in Ireland|P. W. Joyce